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Law School Hiring Committee Member: Practical Experience? 'Scratch That.'

By Eric Lipman

It is probably, at best, a footnote in the ongoing debate about law professor skills and qualifications (see here for some of our prior coverage), but I couldn't help but notice it. In a post yesterday on the Faculty Lounge blog, Professor Michael Lewyn of Florida Coastal School of Law ran through a "mock email exchange" with a would-be law professor concerned that he hadn't gotten enough interviews. Now, I don't claim to know the first thing about the academic hiring process. I don't know an AALS Form from a TPS Report. But I recognize how quickly Lewyn dismissed the significance of experience with the actual practice of law as a factor in assessing candidates. Read: I can?t speak for other law schools. But I can speak for myself. There are four major factors I look at (leaving aside affirmative action considerations): teaching experience, subject matter fit, publications, and practice experience. Most applicants have practice experience, so let?s scratch that factor. No, Professor. Let's not scratch that factor. Even assuming it's true that "most applicants" for law teaching jobs have practice experience, not all practice experience is equal. The applicant who spent 10 years as an ADA should not start...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on October 15, 2010 (boomark / email).